Chapter: 123
Seeing Phoebe yell, I instinctively took a step back.
Is it just me, or does her casting speed seem faster than when we were in the game?
Looks like my provocation really got to her.
Just look at those fiery eyes.
Seeing Phoebe’s flushed face made me chuckle without even realizing it.
I would do all sorts of crazy things just to see her get mad back when I used to watch from behind the monitor.
You know, with a character so nice that even the most mischievous actions would only earn a bemused smile—doesn’t it feel like there should be some special interactions because of that?
That’s why the veterans in the Soul Academy used every means to get Phoebe riled up.
But the conclusion? There were no interactions where Phoebe got angry.
When we found that out, everyone lamented that the developers were totally out of touch.
Ah, if only I could take a snapshot of the furious Phoebe and post it in the community.
The reactions would definitely be hilarious.
But now, all I can do is imagine that scenario.
“Starting the Purification Prayer!”
The moment Phoebe shouted that, divine energy burst forth around her.
Old man hasn’t said a word, but I can feel it.
This time, Phoebe isn’t going to fail.
Seriously. How could she be so capable but mess up in the beginning?
Because of that, I ended up looking like the bad guy.
I wanted to befriend Phoebe, not lose favor with her like this.
I could almost tear up.
Maybe I can make it up during this field trip.
As she hummed her prayer, the dragon’s wings fluttering in the sky began to slow down.
Before the saintess’s overwhelming holiness, even a dragon must submit.
With the holiness enveloping it, the dragon plummets to the ground.
The area quakes and dust billows up where the dragon crashed.
We’re nearing the end, but it’s not time to relax just yet.
With my shield raised, I positioned myself to block the front, protecting where Phoebe and Frey were.
Not long after, another tremor shakes the ground as the dust settles.
Even if the dragon bows its head before human holiness, its true nature doesn’t change.
That rugged vitality still moved the golem’s body.
From now on, my role is simple.
I just need to hold out in front until Phoebe finishes her purification prayer.
I have to stop this lizard from crossing this line in front of me.
This is what a tank needs to do.
And something I’m confident I can pull off better than anyone.
Even if it has the body of a golem, it’s still a dragon.
It’ll realize who is inflicting serious damage upon it.
Taking a breath, I noticed the red eyes of the dragon looking toward the saintess behind me.
Ah, don’t even think about looking back.
Right in front of you is a small, cute, and absolutely annoying girl.
For a dragon that’s lived for ages, you’ve got no manners!
When a lady dances and reaches out her hand, it’s only proper to join in!
Guess the dragon’s brain has turned into golem clay.
If it can’t think, let’s just smash it into shape!
I might end up in the afterlife for this, but who knows?
Maybe I’ll have to maintain some etiquette there too?
If that happens, you better be thankful to me, got it?
“Hey, you pathetic lizard!♡ Look at me!♡”
Let’s play together!
*
After the purification prayer ended and the golem’s power source was lost, its body lurched forward.
Phoebe, who had been nervously watching for any miscalculations, let out a long sigh as an exit appeared leading out of the dungeon.
What a relief.
We did it!
I showed our miracle from Armedi to Lady Alrn!
Phoebe had never experienced the emotions tumbling in her heart, now painted in red.
That’s why, having overcome the red, she felt a joy greater than she ever could before.
I wonder what Lady Alrn will say.
After all, she just pulled off something that she always overlooked about Armedi!
Phoebe shrugged her shoulders, waiting for Lucy to return.
“Lady Alrn! Don’t you have anything to say?!”
As Lucy approached, her hair covered in dust, Phoebe shouted.
Upon hearing that, Lucy raised an eyebrow and burst into laughter.
W-What’s so funny?!
You should be apologizing to Lady Alrn instead of laughing! Apologize!
“Haha, you’re quite petty. Were you holding onto that just now?”
“You, the one who insulted our god first!”
With how many blasphemous things you’ve said, how can you be so brazen?!
I can still vividly recall what you said, Lady Alrn!
“But you did fail at first, didn’t you? If you didn’t want to be ridiculed, you should’ve done better, pathetic saintess.”
“Urk!…”
Phoebe had never been in a spat like this before, unable to endure Lucy’s gaze, which dripped with condescension.
Gripping the hem of her academy uniform skirt with both hands, she glared at Lucy, who finally walked up to her, reaching out and pinching her nose.
Phoebe, taken completely off guard, stepped back while holding her nose with both hands, and Lucy’s smile only deepened.
“In the end, you did well. Why didn’t you just do that from the start? You really are useless.”
Saying that, Lucy turned and headed toward where the dungeon rewards appeared.
Did she just… acknowledge me?
*
No! Hey! That Mesugaki skill!
Why did you just poke someone else’s nose?!
Do you have any idea how flustered I was?!
It’s one thing when I can’t even apologize while they’re mad, but to provoke them is beyond!
Ugh, I’m losing my mind.
What does Phoebe think of me?
I’m used to other people looking at me with scorn, but getting hatred from the saintess too is just too much.
Is there any way I can get rid of this Mesugaki skill penalty?
At least my pathetic god lowered the penalties before, so maybe it could happen again someday, right?
I tried to remain hopeful, but no matter how I looked at it, it seemed impossible.
That pathetic god loves being scolded by little girls and has a masochistic and sadistic streak.
Unless I achieve something as grand as sealing the evil god again, I doubt I’ll get any kind deeds from him.
Giving up quickly, I approached the table at the dungeon exit to grab my rewards.
“What’s this?”
Frey tilted her head, staring at the four orbs fogged with what looked like smoke inside.
‘This is…’
“Hey, clueless fighter. You don’t know what this is? It’s an Experience Boost Orb.”
“What’s that?”
Right, I knew she wouldn’t get it.
The first clear reward for the first semester dungeon at the academy is the Experience Boost Orb.
You hold it in your hand and think about which skill you want to boost, and boom—skill level up!
One orb can do what takes me a month of sweat and toil to achieve!
This item is super efficient and useful, but also rare, so you can’t just buy it even if you have loads of cash.
That’s why it’s not just any old reward for being the first to clear the academy dungeon.
I bet if I put it on the market, it would fetch an outrageous price!
That’s also why nobody bothered with the first semester dungeon clear in the game; the rewards weren’t worth the effort, so getting something decent was ideal.
As I told Frey what the orb was, she picked one up without hesitation, closed her eyes, and—
The fog within the orb flowed into her body, transforming it into a clear crystal.
Setting the orb down to check herself, Frey furrowed her brow and approached the now-empty golem, swinging her sword.
“Oh.”
Did she feel something different?
Without a word, Frey began swinging her sword toward the golem with a focused expression.
Her gaze intensified.
At that state, she wouldn’t hear a word from anyone for a while.
Just like how Frey was earlier, I tried to mumble to myself while holding the orb to increase my desired skill.
The skill I want to increase is one of two.
Either mace or shield.
While I can just swing the mace around and level it up mindlessly, I can’t do that with the shield.
So first, let’s boost the shield skill.
As soon as I resolved that, the fog-like energy flowed into my body.
Ugh, this feels weird.
It’s a tingling sensation.
Let’s see.
One of the remaining two is Phoebe’s.
The problem is, what about the last one?
Normally, it’d be neat if the four party members each took one.
But this isn’t just a straightforward four-member party.
To get technical, this party consists of three party members and one safety officer.
That means if I play my cards right, I might just snag two Experience Boost Orbs.
Since the limit on uses doesn’t apply to these like elixirs do.
Glancing subtly at Karl, he waved his hands and declared he wouldn’t take a reward.
“I can’t take the reward. I didn’t do anything. Please decide among the others how it will be used.”
I knew he’d say something like that.
Alright then. I’ll give you a reward for your hard work later.
After all, I promised to give you a gift instead of a sword.
“I only need one. I didn’t contribute to anything except that one moment. To be honest, I feel guilty about taking even one.”
With Phoebe being the humble one before I could even mention it.
Right. She did play a part in the 100th floor, but she basically clung like a bag of potatoes on the previous 99 floors, doing nothing.
So one is enough. Sure.
Now, the last opinion I need to hear is from Frey.
“Useless Fighter!♡”
Even in a focused state, I crumbled against the provocation of the Mesugaki skill.
Frey turned her head immediately the moment I spoke and walked over while halting her swings.
With a distinctly displeased look, Frey explained the situation to me.
One orb is left, and we need to decide how to use it.
Seeing the greed in Frey’s eyes as she gazed at the orb sent a chill down my spine.
What? Are you getting greedy?
You basically just jumped around making me do all the work!
I threw subtle hints, but Frey’s expression remained utterly unchanged.
“If I hadn’t been here, we wouldn’t have cleared it in a day.”
T-That’s true.
There’s practically no first-year student who could keep up with my pace.
Joy still needs a lot of time to improve her stamina.
“So I deserve a shot as well.”
So you’re not giving up on that, huh?
The allure of the levels must be too tempting for her!
I’ll admit I’m being petty over this too, just because of those levels.
Okay.
I get it.
I’m well aware that if it weren’t for you, we would have struggled a lot more.
I’ll acknowledge your contribution.
‘So then…’
“Useless Fighter. Let’s settle this with a game of rock-paper-scissors.”
“Just one round?”
‘Yep.’
“Alright. One round.”
A pure game of luck where nothing else comes into play.
A 5-5 match.
Now that’s fair.
Right?
“Sure.”
Haha! Gotcha! You’re in for it now, silly Frey!
You have no idea, but I’m really lucky!
I’m the one who left everything to the Dice God during our academy test and still scored above average!
I practically have no chance of losing in a game of luck!
Alright! Hand over the Experience Boost Orb, Useless Fighter!
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